Wendell Garrett dies at 83; Roadshow appraiser since 1997

Published on Current.org, November 28, 2012

Wendell Garrett, an appraiser on Antiques Roadshowsince 1997, died Nov. 14 at a hospice facility in Williston, Vt. He was 83.

“Garrett was an important member of Antiques Roadshow’s appraisal team,” the program said in a statement, “displaying a generosity of spirit and intellect over the years to the Roadshow community and viewers. Behind the scenes at Roadshow, Garrett was considered a master and scholar — a Grand Poobah — and he will be missed by all.”

Garrett had muscular dystrophy since he was 19 years old, and by his 60s walking had become difficult. His New York Times obituary said he was known for “his white hair, impeccable suits, courtly manner and the wheelchair in which he sat.”

In addition to his work on Roadshow, Garrett was a retired senior vice president at Sotheby’s, and the longtime editor and publisher of The Magazine Antiques.

“Throughout his work,” the Times noted, “Mr. Garrett voiced the conviction that antiques should never be considered in a vacuum. They were tangible manifestations of the ethos of their time and place, he said, and as such — whether cups and saucers or entire buildings — could be windows onto American social history.”